[NEohioPAL] Fourth Wall - Opens Season with 2 Man Kidnapping Rule

Tue Jan 8 12:00:29 PST 2008

FOURTH WALL PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS 2 MAN KIDNAPPING RULE
JOSEPH GALLO’S NEW PLAY KICKS OFF FOURTH WALL’S SEASON

(December, 2007) Fourth Wall Productions starts its second season of bringing new works to Cleveland begins with this “Cheko-vian look at male relationships.” 

Dash Combs takes the director’s chair for this look into one night of three guys’ lives that will determine if their futures are running align with each other, or going to go off in separate directions due to the women they are chasing.  2 Man Kidnapping Rule looks to be Fourth Wall’s most testosterone-ridden show yet, which will have the fellas in the audience seeing truth, and the women realizing how guys really feel about the women they chase, the women they love, and the women they lose.

(Actors in the pictures: Nate Bigger is in checkered vest, Stuart Hoffman is in blazer, and Michael Riffle is in sweater)

ABOUT 2 MAN KIDNAPPING RULE

2 Man Kidnapping Rule was just developed and seen for the first time at Ohio University’s Annual Playwright’s Festival where it came off with glowing remarks from the Head of the Playwriting Program- Charles Smith.  While Fourth Wall was in rehearsals, 2 Man had a reading at SoHo Think Tank in New York City where it was well received also.  

The Story: 2 Man Kidnapping Rule is a play about one night in the lives of three men: Seth, Vincent, and Jack.  When Jack refuses to put away the memories that his ex-girlfriend left behind- his buddies force Jack to come out on the town with them.  Will Jack find a substitute for the girl who got away?  Or is this the beginning of a whole new set of problems?  

Gallo takes the audience through “hooking up” in the present world, to current male mindsets of masculinity and women, at an alarmingly honest and fast pace.  
ABOUT FOURTH WALL PRODUCTIONS

Fourth Wall Productions is one of Cleveland’s newest theatre companies whose main goal is to engage a younger audience into the wonderful world of theatre by using unpublished / unknown plays.  The Founding Members of Fourth Wall all went to Ohio University together, and formed their company from the different departments the School of Theatre had to offer.  Putting together Ohio University and Cleveland-area talent, Fourth Wall’s goal is to continue to do a type of theatre that will connect with an audience in the 16-35 age range, yet will entertain an audience of all ages.  It’s through Fourth Wall’s introduction of theatre, and friendship with other regional theatres, that they hope to broaden theatre appreciation within the Cleveland community, and build upon Cleveland’s theatre reputation for new works.

ABOUT THE CAST

MICHAEL RIFFLE (Jack) is a Lake Ridge Academy alum who graduated from the University of Rochester in New York with a Minor in Theatre.  His most recent roles were The Boys Next Door as Jack for Medina Showbizz Co., Take Me Out as Shane Mungitt for the Black Friars Theatre in Rochester; Michael was in King Lear as Edmund, Eurydice as Orpheus, and Killer Joe as Joe Cooper for the Todd Theatre in Rochester.  He has also worked at the Broadway Theatre in Medina, OH., the Geva Theatre, the George Eastman House, and the Sterling Renaissance Festival all in Rochester, New York. 

STUART HOFFMAN (Vincent) grew up in Cleveland Heights and went to Cleveland Heights High School.  Throughout High School, he was involved in East Cleveland Comm. Theater and the Playmakers Youth Theater at the Mayfield JCC, and Hathaway Brown. Stuart went to Miami University of Ohio and, although majored in Mass Communication and Film, was very active in the theater program.  Some favorite roles in college were Chaim in Two by Ron Elisha, Uncle Peck in How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, and Craver Perry in In the Heart of America by Naomi Wallace. Since graduating in 2006, Stuart has performed for Ensemble Theatre (Rose Tattoo), Cleveland Public Theatre (Sleep Deprivation Chamber, Little Box) and, most recently, Convergence-Continuum (Act a Lady).

NATE BIGGER (Jonathon) graduated from Ohio University in 2005 with a Bachelor's Degree in Theater Performance.  Nate’s first Cleveland performance was the lead in Fourth Wall’s production of Matthew A. Sprosty’s Malicious Bunny in the summer of 2007.  Before that, he was seen as JM Barrie in Ohio Valley Summer Theater's production of Peter Pan and as Feste in Twelth Night.  2 Man Kidnapping Rule is Nate’s second show with Fourth Wall.    

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

JOSEPH GALLO  (Playwright)  His play My Italy Story (Penguin Rep, TheatreWorks, Seton Hall University), which had its New York debut Off-Broadway at the 47th Street Theatre, and was nominated for the Gay Talese Literary Prize, was revived last season at 12 Miles West Theater in New Jersey.  His work has also been seen in New York at the Obie award-winning Ice Factory Festival at the Ohio Theater, where he wrote and produced Tannhauser: The Play, and wrote the text for the dance/theater piece 80% of Love.  His play Ya Gotta Believe was produced recently in Mile Square Theatre’s Seventh Inning Stretch Ten Minute Play Festival.  His work has additionally been seen on the stages of HERE, Circle Rep Lab, Pearl Theater, Samuel Beckett Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, 78th Street Theatre, Waterfront Ensemble, Atlantic Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse, Delaware Stage Company, Seven Angels Theatre, Orlando Fringe Festival, and at both the Hayworth Theatre and the Hudson Guild Theatre in Los Angeles. 

DASH COMBS (Director) graduated from Ohio University with a BFA in Acting. His credits while there include The Baltimore Waltz, Our Lady of 121st Street, On the Line, The Gods Are Not To Blame and A View From the Bridge. Since coming to Cleveland, he has been in The Merry Wives of Windsor for Great Lakes Theater Festival and Cabaret for Kalliope Stage, as well as Stained Glass Ugly, Schism and Plans Change, all produced by Fourth Wall. He was most recently seen as Greg in Fourth Wall’s production of Malicious Bunny. Aside from being a Resident Actor of Fourth Wall Productions, he’s also on the Board of Directors as Vice-President.

REBECCA COLE (Producer) graduated from Ohio University in 2004 with a BFA in Directing.  Some of her directing credits include Two, Kennedy's Children, Ganareys' 101, All's Fair, and The Accident.  She served as Assistant Director for Monomoy Summer Theatre in Chatham, Massachusetts for their 2002 season.  While working with Fourth Wall Productions she has also directed Plans Change, Schism, All the Way from China, and Stained Glass Ugly.  Some of her other Cleveland credits include assistant directing Christmas Story for the Cleveland Play House for the past 2 years running.  While being the Resident Director for Fourth Wall Productions, Rebecca Cole also serves on the Board of Directors as Secretary.

JUSTIN TATUM (Production Manager) is an Ohio University graduate with a BFA in Theatre Performance.  He was last seen in Fourth Wall Productions’ winter production of All the Way from China (Jack).  His credits include: Griller (Dylan) for The Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company, Cabaret (Ernst), Opal (Narrator), and 110 in the Shade (Noah) for Kalliope Stage, Plans Change (Hugh) and Schism (Corey) for Fourth Wall Productions, as well as South Pacific, Our Town, Two Gentleman of Verona, and As You Like It for the Monomoy Theatre in Chatham, Massachusetts.  Other credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander), A View from the Bridge (Louis), Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Bernie), A Lie of the Mind (Mike), Tape (John), Ghosts (Oswald), The Pelican (Fredrik) as well as originating the roles of: Ganareys’ 101 (Mr. Ganarey), All’s Fair (Mr. Banin), Trial by Water: A Gook Story (Hung Tran), and Fore (CJ Walters).  Besides being a Resident Actor for Fourth Wall Productions, Justin also serves on the Board as President.

MATTHEW A. SPROSTY (Stage Manager) graduated from Ohio University’s Playwriting Program with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the Spring of 2004.  Under the head of the program Tony-nominated playwright, Charles Smith, Matthew helped initiate the Undergraduate Playwright’s Ten-Minute Play Festival to showcase the writing skills of the School of Theatre’s undergraduate talent.  Also, Matthew’s first full length, Ganareys’ 101, was one of the first school-sanctioned productions of an undergraduate playwright’s full-length play at Ohio University.  After that, Sprosty paired up with director Rebecca Cole again for the full length All’s Fair, where on closing night- they had to turn away half the theatre-go’ers due to an already full house.  Fourth Wall Productions has produced two shows of Sprosty’s (Schism, Plans Change.) Since, starting to send his plays out in the Spring of this year- Matthew has been in talks with theatre companies in Chicago, New York, and Columbus about possible productions for his plays.  Besides being their Resident Playwright, Matthew Sprosty is on the Board of Directors as Treasurer.
 CARLI TAYLOR MILUK (Producer) is the newest company member for Fourth Wall Productions and just appeared in their production of Stained Glass Ugly. Currently she is playing "Bianca" in the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival's production of Taming of the Shrew. She is fresh off a month-long European tour, performing for Armed Forces Entertainment as the host of a puppet show with Natural Bridges Puppet Production Company.  She has performed locally with such companies as Great Lakes Theater Festival, Stage Left Theater, MorrisonDance, and the Magic Mike / Cuidado Productions magic shows.  Carli has also choreographed and taught theater / dance classes at Olmsted Performing Arts, Brecksville Theater on the Square, and The Arts Academy. Carli graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College with a BA in Theater and Dance.

What:              2 MAN KIDNAPPING RULE
A Comedy Presented by 
Fourth Wall Productions

Where:            The Enterprise Center at Glenville, Room 221
540 East 105th St,. Cleveland, Ohio 44108

When:             Preview Night Performance        Thursday, January 17th  
Opening Night:                           Friday, January 18th    
Final Performance:                      Sunday, January 27th   

Who:               Cast
                        Michael Riffle……………………………Jack
                        Stuart Hoffman…………………………..Vincent                           
                        Nate Bigger………………………………Seth

Creative Team
                                                            Production Manager:                Justin Tatum
Playwright:                    Joseph Gallo
Director:                                   Dash Combs
Assistant Director:                    Rebecca Cole
Stage Manager:                        Matthew A. Sprosty
Producer:                                 Carli Taylor Miluk

Times:             Thursday-Saturday Evenings            8:00pm
Sunday Matinee Shows                     2:00pm

Prices:             General Admission        $10.00

For Tickets in Advance: Call Rebecca Cole at (330) 283-2442, or 
       visit www.fourthwallproductions.com
Justin TatumFourth Wall Productions
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